Saturday, December 26, 2009

Over the course of the last decade, I’ve been truly fortunate to enjoy a number of enlightening firsts in my personal theatergoing that have only served to increase my deep and abiding love for the art form known as live theatre. What follows is one of my ten favorite experiences of the last ten years.

But that didn't stop me from earning my bragging rights earlier this year as I "appeared" being on a Broadway stage during a show in progress, and it was not as part of an onstage audience as shows like Spring Awakening or Xanadu employed.

It all began by catching more than a good buzz when my Love Of My Life (LOML) and I took our second row seats for Diane Paulus' inspired revival of Hair -- unequivocally Broadway's best musical revival last season.

If you’ve seen this show, you’ll know that the musical threatens to end on a very sobering note. However, at the curtain call, the cast joins together for a reprise of “Let The Sun Shine,” which concludes in an audience empowering moment when everyone in the house is invited onstage to join in the singing and dancing.

My participation in the show had begun even before the curtain call when Tony nominee Gavin Creel bounded from the stage during the show’s eponymous tune. He perched himself on the armrest of the seat immediately in front of me, took his belt off and looped it around my neck, shimmying it back and forth, much to my amazement.

So when the audience began pouring onto the stage of the Al Hirschfeld Theatre, how could we refuse the opportunity? My LOML and I leapt onto the stage, sang and danced as best we could. Like so many others, we were so swept up in the moment, we even snuck in a little smooch.

No, you won’t find us listed in any of the show’s credits, but we relished our once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to make our Broadway debut.

This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).

In keeping with the new Federal Trade Commission (FTC) regulations that unfairly discriminate against bloggers, who are now required by law to disclose when they have received anything of value they might write about, please note that I have received nothing of value in exchange for this post. I paid my own way for all performances above.

1 Comments:

I never thought I'd be singing or dancing on a Broadway stage - being tone deaf and having 2 left feet! But it was an incredible moment, definitely a once-in-a-lifetime experience. And to me, it was so in keeping with the spirit of the 1960s, which were all about breaking down barriers and casting aside inhibitions.

Broadway's 2010-11 Theatrical Season

About Me

As someone who has been involved in both politics and public relations, it's no wonder I love watching theatre. Good or bad, it's the raw energy of seeing a live performance that gets my adrenaline pumping. From the moment I saw my very first Broadway show ("Annie" in London in 1979), I was hooked. Now I see as many as 70 shows each year ranging from soaring musicals to two-hander plays. And these eyes just may be in an audience near you!